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InFamous Devs Using "About 30%" Of PS3 Power

Historically, PlayStation consoles have always been difficult to develop for, especially at the start of their lifespans. But we were always surprised to see the graphical progression over the years; just look at last generation and the PS2. From the likes of Smugglers Run, Tekken Tag Tournament, TimeSplitters, Fantavision, and Summoner to Gran Turismo 4, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Final Fantasy XII, and God of War 2 in the last few years...it's a staggering difference.

So of course, with the hyped power of the PS3, everyone has been wondering: just what is the system capable of? How much of the console's true power are developers able to tap into at this particular time? Well, most developers will tell you the potential of Sony's new machine is amazing, but they haven't been able to access even a fraction of that potential just yet. And now, a recent GameSpot interview has shed more light on the issue: during an interview with Sucker Punch (developing the PS3 exclusive InFamous), the team said they're using about 30% of the system's capabilities.

"We are currently using about 30 percent of the SPUs' capabilities--with the SPUs doing lots of heavy lifting for us on rendering, visibility, particle systems, skinning, animation blending, and so on...this with scores of pedestrians, cars, fires, etc., all going on. And the best part? We've not made any significant attempts to even optimize the SPU code. I think it's reasonable to guess we could put 10 times as much stuff on the SPUs and still make our frame budgets. It's really pretty amazing."

It's more good news, and makes everyone imagine would might be possible on the PS3 in the future. We heard something similar to this - although the claims were nowhere near as drastic - with the dawn of the PS2, and while everyone scoffed at first, the visual advancement was undeniable. So we're very much looking forward to InFamous, and thanks to their comments, we're definitely looking forward to the future.